One of the bummers of this year’s Las Vegas Summer League, which kicks off on Friday, is that some of the most interesting players from this year’s draft won’t be able to suit up.

Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 pick of the Cavaliers, will miss what would have been a homecoming at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center as he recovers from shoulder surgery, and teammate Sergey Karasev won’t play, either, because of national team commitments. Phoenix’s Alex Len, the No. 5 pick, won’t play as he comes back from a foot injury.

Otto Porter will play at the Las Vegas Summer League with a host of other new draft picks. (AP Photo)

The Las Vegas league is, no doubt, mostly for hoopheads who can stomach the erratic and sometimes downright brutal quality of play—these are young players, thrown together for two weeks and each with an agenda to showcase his individual skill. It isn’t art.

Ah, but there will still be much on display in Las Vegas, for those brave enough to watch:

The format

For the first time, the league will experiment with a tournament-style bracket. The 22 teams (21 NBA teams and a D-League select group) will each play three preliminary games, and will then be seeded according to the results. The Top 11 teams will have a first-round bye, and all 22 teams will be guaranteed at least five games over the 11-day schedule. The semifinals will take place on Sunday, July 21, with the champs crowned with a title game on July 22.

Names to watch

Otto Porter, Wizards. Likely to be the Wizards’ starting small forward next season, but he is unlikely get to play with Brad Beal.

Cody Zeller, Bobcats. The Bobcats were under some scrutiny for this pick, so a strong showing for Zeller would ease some doubts.

Ben McLemore, Kings. Some feel McLemore is the favorite to be Rookie of the Year. Last year’s ROY, Damian Lillard, averaged 26.5 points in Las Vegas.

C.J. McCollum, Blazers. Speaking of Lillard, he is listed on Portland’s roster, which could be a nice way to get McCollum acclimated.

Shabazz Muhammad, Timberwolves. The Wolves are hoping that Muhammad is ready to contribute as a rookie, starting here.

Second-round gems

Jamaal Franklin, Grizzlies. Franklin was a big scorer at San Diego State who could carve a role for himself with Memphis.

Ray McCallum, Kings. This tough-as-nails point guard from Detroit could look good feeding McLemore.

Allen Crabbe, Blazers. One of the best pure shooters in the draft, and in an often-ugly summer league, that can make a guy look good.

Glen Rice, Jr., Wizards. Rice’s transgressions at Georgia Tech cost him in the draft, but he has tremendous upside as a scorer.

Ricky Ledo, Mavericks. Ledo never played at Providence, but those who have seen him say he will be an NBA player for a long time.

Undrafted prizes

Vander Blue, Grizzlies. You see undrafted shooting guard from Marquette, you think Wesley Matthews. Blue might not be that good, but he was considered draftable.

Brandon Paul, Timberwolves. Paul struggled with shot selection at Illinois, but he can score, and the Timberwolves need bench depth.

Myck Kabongo, Heat. Kabongo was suspended much of last season at Texas for accepting improper benefits, and struggled with his shooting. He has talent, though.

C.J. Leslie, Knicks. Leslie was a potential first-rounder who plummeted out of the draft despite averaging 15.1 points on 51.9 percent shooting.

Reset buttons

Austin Rivers, Pelicans. The No. 10 pick in last year’s draft, Rivers had a forgettable, injury-shortened season that saw him average 6.2 points on 37.2 percent shooting.

Jan Vesely, Wizards. Difficult to forget that the Wizards originally targeted Kawhi Leonard in 2011 before going with Vesely, who has averaged 3.6 points in two seasons.

Bismack Biyombo, Bobcats. Biyombo was going to be a long-term project no matter what, and though he has not had much impact just yet, his development is coming along.

Jonny Flynn, Clippers. Flynn was the No. 6 pick of the Timberwolves (they passed on Stephen Curry) in 2009, his lack of size leading to a gradually shrinking role until he was cut by the Pistons last year. He played in Australia last season.